Looking East: New Education Program
Hassan Wirajuda, who served as foreign minister under the country’s fifth and sixth presidents, was inaugurated on Wednesday as rector of Prasetya Mulya University, vowing to develop an East Asian studies program to reflect the region’s growing impact on the global order. In his inauguration speech, Hassan noted the growth of East Asian countries, particularly China, and how rapid development in the region had shifted the global power balance away from the West. “The combination of relatively stable politics, security, a dynamic economy and the rise of China has made East Asia the new center of the world. We can no longer be considered living on the outskirts, but I’m not sure if we know our neighbors in East Asia that well,” he said. Hassan also said Indonesia’s higher education had been oriented toward the United States and Europe for far too long, leaving a shortage of East Asian experts in the country. This skewed focus had also led to a divide between academia and industries, the latter of which had seen their ties with East Asia businesses flourish over the years. “To close this gap, Prasetiya Mulya will develop an East Asian studies program as part of a larger focus on the international issues this region will encounter,” he said.
Moana: A Polynesian Pathfinder
In her recent commentary in the “Indonesian Observer”, Tamalia Alisjahbana, praised the new Disney animated film, “Moana 2- Seen Through the Eyes of an Indonesian” for its accurate depictions of Polynesian physical, spiritual, and cultural worlds. The main character is a “wayfinder” for her people and Alisjahbana wonderfully connects this to Indonesia’s national anthem, composed in the 1920’s and the Indonesian scout movement. The islands of Polynesians are thought to have been settled by peoples (employing scouts) who came from the east, and no doubt these would have included people from the Indonesian archipelago. To read the article click here.